Annette Bzdawka fronts Annie B & the Vagabond Company.

Calling all musicians: Annie B. and the Vagabond Company is looking for a guitarist to join the band.

"We want someone who wants to do something different, somebody with an edgier style, somebody who wants to put the time in," said frontwoman Annie B. (a.k.a. Annette Bzdawka). "The band rehearses a lot, and it's paid off, because we've come very far in a very short time."

Annie B., a WAMI Award nominee for best female vocalist this year, has been making music since the early '90s, playing clubs in Los Angeles for eight years before settling back in her native Milwaukee in 2008.

The Vagabond Company came together this year, putting together a CD with a big lift from local guitarist Camille deWinter and 12 other musicians (including I'm Not a Pilot's Peter Thomas) in about four months' time. The album, "Fancies of a Random Heart," drops at a CD release show Friday that features local artists creating pieces on the spot.

Band name back story: We're all just a bunch of vagabonds that came together, especially myself. I lived in my car for a year and moved from Milwaukee to Reno, Nev., and lived in Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin. I have been a vagabond since about 1992, around the time when I started getting serious about playing music.

They say they sound like: I get a lot of comparisons to Alanis Morissette when it comes to vocals and songwriting style. We fit right alongside artists on the adult alternative stations.

Sell yourself in 20 words or less: We're a hard-hitting rock band that likes to take our music to different places. We definitely like to have fun.

Describe your look: (The men) wear button-down shirts with patches. This is the first band where I wear dresses for every show, and I'm not sure how much I like it.

Unofficial band beverage: The band drinks Miller High Life. I would choose a microbrew beer.

First gig: The Tonic Tavern (in Bay View) in February. That was one of those things where we really kind of threw the show together, and the venue is more designed for acoustic artists, but I was really happy with how things went and I felt like we definitely were on the right track.

Worst gig: For me, it was the Brady Street Festival in July. I smashed my fingers as I was trying to move a barricade, and it didn't really hit me until I started playing that those were my strumming fingers. I was in so much pain. And it was so blazing hot that day I almost passed out after the third song.

Song you've written that you're most proud of: There's a song called "What Do You Do" on my solo acoustic effort, "The Kiwi Café," that seems to touch people's hearts. I've gotten a lot of really good feedback about the lyrics and the song all around.

The song's very simple musically and lyrically, but the message is powerful: What do you do when you're feeling alone in the world, feeling lost, and trying to find your way? It's a universal theme, and it touches all of us.

Favorite cover song in your set: "These Boots are Made for Walkin' " by Nancy Sinatra. I'm all about the female rocker and all about the girl power. It's a perfect song for this band.

Biggest band achievement: We had our first show in February, and less than nine months later we're putting out a new CD. I'm really excited about that.

Where do you want to be in five years? I'd like to be touring all over the world.

Why do you do this? I've always been brought up with this mentality of: go to school every day, get a good degree where you can get a good job. I was in grad school for clinical psychology out in Reno and started having second thoughts about all that and my path in life.

I came home for the summer, I called my college sweetheart who played in a band in Milwaukee, and I said, "Teach me how to play guitar. . . . " I realized music is where I want to be with my life. I can't do anything else.